A prognosis is a prediction of the outcome of one’s disease. How likely is survival? Will the cancer come back? These are the big questions on most people’s minds after receiving a diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancer. In general, there are several characteristics of the tumor that can inform a patient about their chances of being cured.
Factors That Affect Prognosis
Cancer Stage
This is the most important factor that affects a patient’s chance of being cured.
Type and Grade
Both the type and grade of the tumor determine the amount of treatment necessary and the ultimate prognosis.
Spread into Local Structures
Spread into large nerves, blood vessels, bones, or other structures can worsen prognosis.
Spread to Lymph Nodes
Spread to lymph nodes in the neck decreases the chance of cure, especially if there is evidence of cancer growth beyond the lymph node. Both the number and size of lymph nodes are also important; for example, a low number of small lymph nodes may not increase a patient’s risk significantly.
EBV DNA Levels
High levels of Epstein-Barr Virus DNA have been shown to carry a worse prognosis.
Giving a percentage of survival is extremely challenging because cancer research often looks at multiple types of cancer and may include a large range of patients who underwent a variety of treatments. While each of these factors discussed above contributes to one’s outcome, patients should have an individual discussion with their doctor to determine their overall prognosis.
Survival Rates for Patients with Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Stage I
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 5 Years
78%
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 10 Years
63%
Stage II
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 5 Years
64%
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 10 Years
52%
Stage III
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 5 Years
60%
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 10 Years
46%
Stage IV
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 5 Years
47%
Estimated Disease-Specific Survival at 10 Years
37%
Disclaimer: Estimated Disease-Specific Survival is the percentage of people with a specific cancer who are alive at a given time point, such as five years after diagnosis. It excludes people who may have died from a disease other than their cancer. While these estimates from large national databases are helpful, it is important to remember that these broad statistics may not apply to one’s individual situation.
